Lateral with Tom Scott 48: Increasingly impressive plays
23 snips
Sep 8, 2023 Jacklyn Dallas, Beryl Shereshewsky, and Alec Watson discuss martial arts, boating backstories, and motoring materials. They explore a puzzle involving the number 23, the history of colored belts in martial arts, and a performance that reverses its first half. They also delve into sewage epidemiology and the unauthorized killing of a sparrow in the Friesian Expo Center.
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Merchandising Ancient Tragedy
- A Julius Caesar bust pencil holder sold online only fits 14 pens despite Caesar being stabbed 23 times.
- Tom and the panel remark that historical tragedy gets merchandised into novelty items.
Belts Darkened Before They Were Deliberate
- Martial-arts belt colours originally darkened naturally from wear and lack of washing.
- The modern coloured-belt system was later formalised to show progress and motivation.
Backward Performance Reveals The Trick
- A theatrical show filmed and then played backwards explains audience confusion and rising amazement.
- The show title itself was a palindrome hinting at the reverse performance trick.